Winemaker Notes
The Sangiacomos are viticultural masters and multigenerational winegrowers. Their cool, windswept vineyard has an ideal location bordering San Pablo Bay where the grapes slowly mature, developing intense varietal character, while retaining excellent acidity and structure. The wine was fermented in French oak barrels, aged on its lees for eight months and underwent malolactic fermentation during the aging process.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Chardonnay Sangiacomo Vineyard opens with scents of fresh lemons, grapefruit and orange blossoms with suggestions of baker's yeast and marzipan. Medium to full-bodied, the palate possesses a good amount of citrus flavors with fragrant accents and a refreshing line, finishing zesty. 1,499 cases produced.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.